Among The Italians, with Vittorio Caradossi

It's so hard to pick sculptors. There must be a thousand Italian sculptors alone to choose from, and I'm just taking a bite out of the last few centuries with that number. During my searches, my husband suggested Vittorio Caradossi, a sculptor from Florence. He was born in 1861, died in 1918. That's about as much as I know about him, unless you count his work.

Thanks to the ARC for this pic!

This piece, called Shooting Stars, is an elegant piece. It's design suggests a reaching for the heavens. An amazing marble piece of two young women depicting the epitomy of graceful, stretched from their toes to their hair, which is flowing upward.

Picture thanks to Portuguese Wikipedia

This sculpture is not only fun, but thought-provoking. Woman With A Mirror is a marble sculpture that is actually attached to a mirror. Another elegant and graceful pose. What I like about these statues is his use of drapery. It's very well done, rivaling Bernini's detailed carvings.

From Kevin Alfred Strom

The Water Carrier, another sculpture where he uses drapery to his advantage. Everything is so subtle, and each fold comes together to create some kind of dress. I like this because it does capture her in a vulnerable state. It speaks to me because of the many times I find myself in this kind of state. I'm not talking about the kind of vulnerability that allows us to be victimized, but the kind that allows us to be open to creativity and imagination, and to see beyond what only our eyes can see.

From ARC

From Christie's

From Live Auctioneers

These three sculptures are examples of some of Caradossi's work of Nymphs. This especially caught my interest, because I'm working on a story about a nymph. The last one here looks like it has water in the background, so I guessed it was a Nyad of some kind. Each in marble, the middle one another example of his combination of marble and other elements, this time onyx. Each statue seems to tell it's own story.

I also couldn't help but notice that Caradossi has mostly done sculptures of women. That's the case with many artists, but I don't know that I could even find one of a male. Another sculptor to read up on. I love his work, and I can't wait to see if there is more out there.

Until next time, Ciao!

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